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Horticulturae
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Innovative Technologies for Shelf-Life Extension and Quality Improvement of Fruit...
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Innovative Technologies for Shelf-Life Extension and Quality Improvement of Fruit and Vegetables

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Postharvest Biology, Quality, Safety, and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2024) | Viewed by 5172

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Liqin Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
Interests: nitric oxide; hydrogen sulfide; postharvest biology
Prof. Dr. Jingying Shi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an 271018, China
Interests: postharvest disease resistance; peach; nitric oxide

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fresh, delicious, nutritional, and healthy fruit and vegetable products are increasingly in demand with increasing living standards. However, due to the highly perishable nature of fruits and vegetables, postharvest preservation is an ongoing challenge. Therefore, researchers around the world are engaged in efforts to investigate new technologies and safe, environmentally friendly strategies for shelf-life extension and quality improvement in postharvest fruit and vegetables.

The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight the latest discoveries in the area of innovative technologies for shelf-life extension and quality improvement of fruit and vegetables. We welcome submissions of manuscripts that showcase the latest insights into new technologies for quality preservation or improvement of fruits and vegetables.

Examples of potential areas include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Exogenous compounds such as salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, melatonin, nitric oxide, sulfide on ripening, and senescence of postharvest fruits and vegetables.

2. Transcriptomic and metabolomic studies of new technologies for that provide novel mechanistic insights into the molecular processes triggered by these technologies.

3. The application of essential oils as bioactive compounds in edible coatings of fruits and vegetables and fresh-cut products.

4. New technologies to prevent microbial contamination and inhibit browning in minimally processed fruits and vegetables.

Prof. Dr. Liqin Zhu
Prof. Dr. Jingying Shi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • postharvest fruits and vegetables
  • fruit quality
  • shelf-life extension
  • new technologies
  • fresh cut fruits and vegetables
  • browning

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1205 KiB  
Article
Inclusion of Antifungal and Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains in Edible Alginate Coating as a Promising Strategy to Produce Probiotic Table Grapes and Exploit Biocontrol Activity
by Nicola De Simone, Angela Scauro, Danial Fatchurrahman, Pasquale Russo, Vittorio Capozzi, Giuseppe Spano and Mariagiovanna Fragasso
Horticulturae 2024, 10(4), 419; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae10040419 - 21 Apr 2024
Viewed by 396
Abstract
The use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the probiotic enrichment of minimally processed fruit is a well-established practice in the literature. In addition, several LAB demonstrated a strain-specific ability to control harmful microorganisms and decay agents, improving shelf life, maintaining quality, and [...] Read more.
The use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the probiotic enrichment of minimally processed fruit is a well-established practice in the literature. In addition, several LAB demonstrated a strain-specific ability to control harmful microorganisms and decay agents, improving shelf life, maintaining quality, and promoting the safety of fruits and vegetables. Edible coatings can help modulate the phenomena of gas exchange and water loss by fruits, representing protection from physical damage and spoilage phenomena linked to oxidation and the development of undesired microorganisms. At the same time, the coating can represent an innovative delivery matrix for the LAB strains of potential interest to improve safety and quality in the postharvest management of fruits. In this work, five Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains, previously characterised for their probiotic and antifungal activity, were incorporated into a sodium alginate coating to develop edible probiotic coatings with antifungal properties for table grapes cv. Italia. The bacterial transfer and their survival were evaluated by comparing coated and uncoated table grapes during 14 days of cold storage at 4 °C. The alginate edible coating increased the number of viable cells transferred to the surface of the berries from about 5 to more than 7 Log CFU/g, with a crucial impact on the potential functional attributes of the final product. The ability of the functionalised coatings to counteract the decay development was evaluated on table grape berries artificially contaminated with Aspergillus niger CECT 2805. A significant reduction in lesion diameter was observed in the alginate coating with L. plantarum 11-A, with a reduction from 15.40 ± 1.14 mm of uncoated berries to 8.40 ± 1.14 mm of berries coated with L. plantarum 11-A. The lesion diameter reduction was also accompanied by a reduction in the symptoms of infection, such as browning around the wound. These results suggest the application of selected strains of L. plantarum as promising bio-resources to enhance the overall value of ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables, particularly in combination with edible coating as a carrier matrix. While a strain-dependent effect was not detected with respect to the improvement in the number of cells in the edible coating, a variability depending on the biotype used was detected for the properties linked to biocontrol, suggesting that the inclusion in edible packaging may represent an innovative criterion in the selection of lactobacilli to be applied postharvest. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Shelf-Life Extension and Quality Improvement of Fruit and Vegetables)
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10 pages, 1787 KiB  
Article
Extending Shelf Life of Cabbage (Brassica oleracea cv. K-Y Cross) by Using Vacuum Precooling and Modified Atmosphere Packaging
by Jung-Yu Liu, Che-Wei Liu, Wei-Ling Chen, Min-Chi Hsu, Huey-Ling Lin and Chang-Lin Chen
Horticulturae 2023, 9(10), 1096; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9101096 - 02 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1670
Abstract
The cabbage cultivar ‘K-Y cross’ is the most important vegetable crop in Taiwan, but it is not easy to produce through the whole year because of the hot summer. For year-round supply, the different postharvest methods such as precooling and modified atmosphere packaging [...] Read more.
The cabbage cultivar ‘K-Y cross’ is the most important vegetable crop in Taiwan, but it is not easy to produce through the whole year because of the hot summer. For year-round supply, the different postharvest methods such as precooling and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) were applied to extend the storage period. The respiration rate and ethylene production were measured in a wide range of temperatures from 1 to 30 °C, and the end of precooling temperature was recommended to be around 7 °C (3/4 precooling times). Vacuum precooling (VC) took cabbages only 30 min to decrease from around 27 °C to 7 °C, which was 19 times faster than room precooling (RC). After 3/4 precooling times, temperature distribution from surface to central parts of cabbages was shown to be more uniform by VC than that by RC. After VC, the MAP was applied to maintain the quality traits of cabbages. The passive MAP could decrease the weight loss, yellowing, and physiological disorders and maintain around 2% O2 and 4% CO2 in the 0.03 mm LDPE bags at 1 °C after 12-week storage. Therefore, the quality of cabbages could be maintained over 3 months by combing VC and passive MAP. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Shelf-Life Extension and Quality Improvement of Fruit and Vegetables)
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16 pages, 1325 KiB  
Article
Effects of Ultrasonication and Modified Atmosphere Packaging on the Physicochemical Characteristics and Quality of Ready-to-Eat Pomegranate Arils
by Farid Moradinezhad, Asma Heydari and Elham Ansarifar
Horticulturae 2023, 9(7), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9070809 - 14 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 975
Abstract
The demand for ready-to-eat pomegranate arils has increased due to the high nutritional value and quality of this valuable fruit. However, the shelf life of arils is short. Therefore, we examined the effect of ultrasonication treatment (35 kHz power) for varying times (5, [...] Read more.
The demand for ready-to-eat pomegranate arils has increased due to the high nutritional value and quality of this valuable fruit. However, the shelf life of arils is short. Therefore, we examined the effect of ultrasonication treatment (35 kHz power) for varying times (5, 10, and 15 min) at 25 °C, and their combination with different packaging types, i.e., vacuum and passive modified atmosphere packaging (passive MAP), on the physical, chemical, and sensory properties of pomegranate arils. The results showed that the combined treatment of ultrasonic and vacuum packaging leads to improving pomegranate arils’ quality and shelf life. The treatments significantly reduced weight loss (30%) and decay (16%) compared to the control. At the end of the storage time, the lowest bacterial count (0.25 log CFU/g) and the lowest yeast and mold count (0.37 log CFU/g) were obtained in ultrasound-treated arils for 15 min that were vacuum packed. In addition, they preserved the total soluble solids, titratable acidity, antioxidant capacity, phenolic compounds, and anthocyanin, leading to improving the organoleptic properties of arils. However, in terms of taste and overall quality, greater scores were recorded by panelists in vacuum-packed arils than in passive MAP. Overall, arils that were treated with ultrasound for 10 min and then vacuum packed had the best results compared to the control and other combination treatments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Shelf-Life Extension and Quality Improvement of Fruit and Vegetables)
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13 pages, 1362 KiB  
Article
Preharvest Multiple Applications of GABA Improve Quality Traits and Antioxidant Compounds of Pomegranate Fruit during Storage
by José Manuel Lorente-Mento, Daniel Valero, Domingo Martínez-Romero, Fátima Badiche, María Serrano and Fabián Guillén
Horticulturae 2023, 9(5), 534; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9050534 - 26 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1046
Abstract
GABA (γ-Aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid with diverse effects on plant development, including delayed senescence in horticultural commodities. The main goal of this research was to investigate the impact of GABA applications to pomegranate trees on the ‘Mollar de Elche’ quality traits [...] Read more.
GABA (γ-Aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid with diverse effects on plant development, including delayed senescence in horticultural commodities. The main goal of this research was to investigate the impact of GABA applications to pomegranate trees on the ‘Mollar de Elche’ quality traits and antioxidant compounds during storage for 60 days at 10 °C. In the 2019 experiment, pomegranate trees received foliar sprays of GABA at 10-, 50- or 100-mM concentrations at three stages of fruit development. Pomegranates harvested from GABA-treated trees exhibited enhanced fruit firmness, titratable acidity, the red color of skin and aril, and higher levels of total phenolics and total and specific anthocyanins compared to those obtained from the control group. These quality traits were maintained at higher levels during 60 days of preservation at 10 °C, and the most important effects were observed for 100 mM dose. In a 2020 experiment, GABA was sprayed at a 100 mM dose, and results were confirmed, showing a retard of the ripening process in pomegranates from GABA-treated trees concerning controls for two months of storage and an extension of their shelf life (with optimal quality traits appreciated by consumers) from 30 to 60 days. Moreover, the increase in anthocyanin content due to GABA treatments resulted in redder fruits, which would appeal more to consumers and have improved health benefits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies for Shelf-Life Extension and Quality Improvement of Fruit and Vegetables)
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